MADISON, Wis. — Take us back to your first significant action at Wisconsin — running onto the field vs. LSU at Lambeau. Do you remember what was running through your mind?
"The biggest thing was getting the play call and making sure I was doing the right thing. I honestly didn't even have time to think about anything else and I just wanted to make sure I did my job."
On your first play, you tackled Leonard Fournette. Do you remember what was running through your mind after that first play?
"I just remember thinking that he definitely hits as hard as everyone said he did. My shoulder was a little sore after that one."
You were a quarterback in high school, but can you share the story on how you ended up playing defense as well?
"In my junior year, I was a backup quarterback, so I wasn't playing at all. They were trying to move a guy named 'Connor' to defensive line and the defensive line coach thought he heard 'Connelly' instead of 'Connor.' So the next day I ended up on the D-Line by mistake and my head coach said, 'Well, everything happens for a reason,' so they left me there and I ended up playing defensive end for the rest of the playoff run and the state championship."
But you switched back to QB as a senior, so how were you tabbed for defense at Wisconsin?
"I was recruited as an 'athlete,' so it wasn't explained to me where I was going to play. So on the day before meetings, I didn't know which meeting room to go to so I texted a coach and had to ask, 'Where do I go?' They said inside linebacker and the rest is history."
If you hadn't walked on at Wisconsin, where do you think you would have played?
"I really don't know. Maybe I would have gone to Minnesota-Duluth to play football. Or maybe I still would have come to UW and just gone to school here without football, since I had already applied and gotten admitted."
You had to work your way up from scout team to starter. What do you tell young teammates who might be going through that scout team experience?
"I tell them that it's a great opportunity to get better because you get to face the best every day in practice. When I was on scout team we had a great offensive line and I had to practice trying to get close to Melvin Gordon. It can be the same for young guys now. You get to face a great O-line and you can work on trying to get close to Jonathan Taylor. In some ways, being on scout team and facing the best can be better than being a back-up your first year."
Being a Minnesota kid, with hockey in the family, who's tougher, hockey players or football players?
"I don't know. Hockey players seem to play through a lot of injuries. I always love seeing the reports after the Stanley Cup about the injuries that guys played through. It will say, 'this guy has been skating with a broken leg for the last five games' or whatever. So hockey players are pretty tough."
